


Forgiveness, Can You Imagine?

by Sunshine_and_Daisies



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 13:37:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17746871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunshine_and_Daisies/pseuds/Sunshine_and_Daisies
Summary: Harry Potter has been away from the Wizarding World in Britain in search for peace and solitude. That all is about to come to an end as soon as he gets a letter from his past.





	Forgiveness, Can You Imagine?

It was many years after Harry James Potter had defeated Lord Voldemort. As people began to bury their dead, many more had begun to celebrate the end of tyranny and reject such things as blood purity.

 

Our young wizard was unable to cope with the mass carnage that was brought on by both sides. So, six months later, he had left Great Britain in hopes to find him. He hadn’t told anyone he would leave until he left. Ginny had pled with him to not leave, however, Ron and Hermione understood just how much the toll of war had taken on Harry. This was at the end of 1998.

 

-Ten Years Later-

 

Harry had roamed all over the globe, magical and non-magical alike. He had been to places such as Phoenix, Arizona, Burkina Faso, India, and many more places. At first, he roamed like a nomad, not staying anywhere more than a week, but then he started to gain more perspective. Enjoy his anonymity, speak to and see people who had not just healed him from the outside but from the inside. As the world began to change, so had our young wizard. He began appreciating the new lease on life. He had appreciated the simple problems of children who’s ice cream had been taken away. Harry a started to work in different countries, trying to rebuild homes, infrastructure and giving guidance to others.

 

He tried to keep in touch with his friends but after a while, everyone appeared to have moved on. Ginny married Blaise Zabini. Ron married Luna Lovegood and Hermione was seeing a lovely wizard fellow from Canada. Over time, Harry began to let life happen as it came.

 

However, as of late, he had begun to feel restless. He was tired of wandering and no place to call home. He began to yearn of normalcy. He wanted to go home, but not the home that everyone expected which was Hogwarts.

 

On a clear sunny day in mid-November, he walked into the village post office in Namibia. “Hello, Frans,” Harry said jovially. “Ah, hello young man! How are you today?” Harry made small talk with the owner as he checked his mailbox. He received newspapers, a couple of letters from Hermione, a catalogue, and… what was this? A mysterious letter? Harry looked it over and saw it was addressed to him. He realized the handwriting was familiar but could not place it. He was surprised to see it didn’t have a return address.

 

Harry said his goodbyes to Frans and left to go home to read the letter. He walked in to his simple abode and smiled when he saw his cat, Bilby. He fed the cat and sat down at the table to read the mysterious letter.

 

As soon as he saw the letter, he felt that the wind was knocked out of him. It was from his Aunt Petunia. He had not thought of his aunt since the day he left Number 4 Privet Drive.

 

_Dear Harry,_

 

_You must be surprised to have gotten my letter. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve gotten your location from Hermione Granger. The ministry had come to my home a year after the fall of the evil wizard. Apparently, Hogwarts and the Ministry felt they needed to make some amends and apologize for how I was treated as a child when growing up with Lily._

 

_It was not easy getting the location from Hermione, as she was very distrusting, but I prevailed._

 

_Anyway, how are you? I hope you are well, Harry. I’ve thought of you many times since we’ve vacated home. Your uncle, Vernon, passed away of gout two years after we were in hiding. I wish I could say that I was sad of his passing. During the years we were in hiding, Vernon had turned even more nastier and bitter. He began abusing me. Dudley could not take it so the boy hit his father._

 

_Harry, as I’ve learned more about what you’ve been through, I am so sorry. I apologize for not giving you the love and attention you needed. You were a child and I took out my anger at Lily out on you. I was cruel, my dear boy. You deserved a good home. A home where you felt safe, loved, and protected. If I could go back in time, I would change my treatment towards you._

 

_You know, it was Dudley who persuaded me to write to you. He was enraged when he found out what happened to you as well. The day we left, Dudley changed for the better. He had become more kinder and more accepting. About five years after the fall of the dark wizard, Dudley found himself a lovely girl. Her name is Hannah Abbot. It was a shock to the both of us when we found out. However, Dudley and Hannah make a lovely pair. They gave birth to twins two years ago, Lily and Michael. My days are spent playing with the twins and making sure they are happy and loved._

 

_I am currently living in a flat above a store in Hogsmeade. The Hogwarts Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, had invited me to live in the quaint village after Vernon passed away. Dudley and I were happy to get away to the lovely and quaint little village. Minerva had also taught me a few basic magic spells for safety and, I suppose, goodwill. She and I have become good friends. She has told me so many stories of my sister and you. Had I only known you were such a daring young man! I wasn’t too pleased to hear of the trouble you had gotten in to but I couldn’t help but swell with pride when you tricked that evil Lucius Malfoy in your second year! It’s the sort of thing your mother would have done._

 

_Harry, I know I have no right to ask you this, but will you please forgive me for what I have done in the past? Will you please come home?_

 

_I’m enclosing a hairpin which acts as a portkey, Minerva has enchanted it to work three days after you’ve received the letter. Please write me back to let me know you are happy and safe._

 

_All my love,_

_Petunia Evans_

 

_PS: I changed my name back to Evans after Vernon passed away._

 

As Harry finished the letter, he wiped away his tears. He had no idea how much he missed the only connection he had to his mum. He was sorry to hear of Vernon’s passing and surprised to see the change come to Dudley and Petunia. He was bemused to realize Dudley had married a witch!

 

Harry found the hairpin inside the envelope and a piece of paper with the address of the flat.

 

Harry took a deep breath and wrote a quick reply to his aunt. He gave the letter to his owl, Tabitha, and a treat. She flew off to his aunt.

 

Harry had decided to visit Hogsmeade. Against all logic defying reasons, he wanted to see his aunt. He wanted to go back to Great Britain and see his friends and Hogwarts again.

 

Three days later, Harry had his knapsack packed. He was nervous to see his aunt again. He hoped that the visit would go well. He made sure to give Bilby and Tabitha to his neighbor for the time being. At exactly 9am sharp, he saw the hairpin glow and he breathed deeply and held touched the hairpin, making sure to have his knapsack in his hand.

 

In a matter of moments, he had reached the village of Hosmeade. He took in the familiar sights and the memories of Ron and Hermione came flooding back. He smiled at the memory of throwing snowballs at Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. He shook his head as to clear the memories and walked to his location. He was surprised to see the village nearly empty. The shops were open but save for a few people, no one was walking about.

 

Harry began walking to the address on the notecard and stopped short when he realized his aunt’s flat was right above Madame Puddifoot’s. He went through the side entrance as the card instructed until he reached a green door with a snowman enchanted on it. He heard giggling and babbling from indoors. He smiled as he realized the twins were here as well. He knocked on the door and a few minutes later, a blonde portly woman opened the door.

 

“Hello, Au-“ Harry was interrupted as he was enveloped into a bone crushing hug. “Harry!” Harry was shocked as he had never received a hug from his aunt before. He was also surprised as to how she wasn’t as trim as before. He supposed that a lot more was different as he was let on.

 

Petunia led her nephew indoors, scarcely believing Harry was truly here. Over the last several years, she had looked deeply within herself and felt ashamed of how she had treated her sister’s son.

 

As she was about to say something, a young fiery two year old raced over to her grandmother. “Mike take toy!” Harry assumed that this little redheaded green-eyed freckled girl was Lily.

 

Petunia picked up her granddaughter and hugged her. “We’ll speak to him, all right, darling?” Lily nodded, temporarily placated. As she noticed the tall stranger, she showed confusion. “Who that!”

 

Petunia smiled, “This is your Uncle Harry. He is Daddy’s cousin.” Lily nodded as she accepted the explanation.

 

“Hi! I Lily. I two. I don’t like spinach!” Harry grinned as his niece spoke to him. “Hi! I’m Harry. I don’t like spinach either!” Lily grinned as she raised her arms towards Harry and Petunia gave her to Harry.

 

“Come in, Harry. I’ll get you a warm mug of Butterbeer.” Harry nodded and followed indoors with Lily.

 

Harry met his nephew as well, and soon he was enamored with them both. He thought the twins were a riot. He was happy to see Petunia affectionate with the twins. It was clear that she doted on them.

Twenty minutes later, Petunia put the twins down for a nap and she came out to the den to see Harry looking at the pictures of Dudley, Hannah, Petunia and even his own parents.

 

“I decided to put their picture up. They were my family too.” Petunia spoke softly. Harry nodded. “I’m surprised the pictures move. You seem to have accepted magic once again.” Petunia nodded.

 

“After Vernon passed, I realized that I wasn’t happy. The bits of magic you see is Hannah and Minnie’s doing. I want my grandchildren to grow and love magic. To be proud of who they are.”

 

Harry smiled kindly, “That’s quite nice, Aunt Petunia.”

 

“Are you happy?” Harry blurted out. Petunia nodded. “Yes, I am. More than I have been in years.”

 

The nephew and aunt sat down in the sitting room across from each other, not knowing what to say, He was unsure of what to say. He couldn’t fathom Petunia here in Hogsmeade of all places.

“Whe-“ “Ho-“ Petunia and Harry chuckled quietly as they realized the other felt as awkward as the other felt.

 

“Dudley’s at work. He works in Zonko’s Joke shop. I don’t approve because he tends to bring joke products home and some of them make quite a mess. Hannah works at the Ministry. She’s an auror.”

 

“I don’t remember you ever liking a mess.” Harry teased. He was surprised to hear his aunt laugh. “No, I think that one bit hasn’t not changed at all. How are you, Harry?”

 

“I’ve been… well. I travelled all around the world. After Voldemort, I couldn’t take all the losses, deaths, and the memories of the carnage and I needed to leave. I’ve been all over. I’ve been helping people in poor areas and learning more about magic and how to heal.”

 

Petunia nodded. “I’m glad. As I’ve mentioned in the letter, I was upset to hear of what you really experienced at your time at Hoggwarts. Lily would always tell me that Hogwarts was the safest place, but it was anything but. I was angry when I found out about Severus. He was a wicked man for what he did to Lily. Though, I should be angriest at Albus. He did not care for you safety as he saw you more as a means to an end.”

 

Harry grew quiet as the memories came to him. Over the last few years, he began to hate his old headmaster and potions professor. They did so much damage that it took Harry years to understand how much of his life was in Dumbledore’s control. He felt as if Dumbledore was a puppet master, stringing everyone along.

 

“I’ve… been seeing someone… for therapy. She helped me to see that Dumbledore wasn’t as altruistic as he seemed. Snape… he was obsessed with my mother.”

 

“Humph! He was a no good slick little… SNIVELLUS!” Harry shocked his aunt as he roared with laughter. Tears of mirth came to his eyes. “I-I-I’m… sorry!” Harry chortled. “That’s what my dad and his friends called Snape.” Petunia grinned. “Is it?” Harry nodded, his eyes full of mirth.

 

“It’s good to hear you laugh.” Petunia admitted to Harry, “It’s good to laugh. I’m… sorry about Vernon. Not that he’s dead… but how he’s treated you.”

 

Petunia sighed, “It took me a while to understand what happened over the years. My marriage was not perfect. Dudley, as doted upon as he was, grew up to revile you. That wasn’t right. Lily was proud of being a witch. She wasn’t a freak. She was a strong and powerful witch, mother, friend, and sister. It was my jealousy and hatred that ruined my relationship with you, before it even began. Vernon despised your father. He saw James as a threat. He saw a young, vibrant, wealthy, and down-to-earth man, and he despised it because Vernon was not that way.”

 

Harry listened intently to his aunt. He felt as if he was looking at her for the first time. She seemed more freer and happier. He smiled when she spoke of Hannah and the twins. His heart swelled with pride when Petunia recounted their first signs of magic. His heart broke when she met her grandchildren for the first time to see that Lily was the spitting image of Lily Evans Potter. Petunia recounted how she had broken down in tears when she processed just what she had lost: her parents, sister, brother-in-law, and her nephew. She had suffered from Depression for a couple of years and Minerva and Hermione were a great source of comfort to her. Hannah, being a true Hufflepuff, allowed her mother-in-law to grieve and break down in the comfort of her own home.

 

“I love the twins equally, but I find myself gravitating towards Lily.” Petunia admitted. “She is so much like your own mum, it’s uncanny.” Petunia recounted.

 

Harry had no idea what came over him. He went to Petunia, sat down next to her, and gave her a bone crushing hug. At that moment, he had truly forgiven his aunt. She had gone through so much in her lifetime. Lost so much. Through the loss, she had also gained so much.

 

“I’m here, Aunt Petunia. You haven’t lost me. I’ll be here as long as you’d like.” Petunia sniffled and hugged her nephew. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I want you here. Stay. You can live in a flat a few stores down!”

 

Harry smiled. He had yearned to be embraced by his aunt. As a child, he had no idea why his aunt hated him. “Before coming here, I spoke to Professor McGonagall.” Harry replied, slowly. “She’s offered me a tenured position of professorship as an instructor for Defense Against the Dark Arts as well as Head of Gryffindor. Slightly unorthodox, being Head of Gryffindor while teaching DADA,” shrugged Harry. “But, it’s a job. I want to settle down, Aunt Petunia. I don’t want to wander around. I want to be… home.” Petunia nodded as she listened carefully.

 

“I’ve decided to take the position. I’ll have my own quarters, a good pay, and I’ll be close by.” Harry stated with finality.

 

Petunia agreed, “Good. It’s settled then. You and everyone will be close by.” “So’s Hermione. I expect she will be here in a few days. She and her Canadian fellow broke up,” she stated with a twinkle in her eye. Suddenly, Harry could see where his aunt was headed.

 

“Er… Aunt Petunia? I’m… gay. I like blokes,” Harry confessed. Petunia blinked. “Oh. Well, there’s plenty of wizards who are single. I hear the Malfoy boy left his wife after he found out he was gay. His son is such a sweet little boy too!” Harry gaped at his aunt’s proclamation.

 

“Oh, don’t look at me like that! It’s 2008! I’m… hip!”

 

“No. No, Aunt Petunia. We don’t say that anymore,” Harry told her gently.

 

Petunia blinked again and suddenly stood up. “You must be hungry. Come to the kitchen and tell me more of what you’ve been up to. Dudley and Hannah will be arriving soon.”

 

Harry nodded and went to accompany his aunt, truly happy at last.

 

Forgiveness, can you imagine?

 

-Epilogue-

 

It was five years later. Harry officially had been teaching for the past five years at Hogwarts. His friends had all come around to see him and he would go to Petunia’s, every weekend for a home-cooked meal and to spend time with his family. Hannah and Petunia had taken it upon themselves to find Harry a good match.

 

He only had Dudley to commiserate with. Hermione had also lectured him about the importance of settling down. Petunia doted on Hermione, Luna, and Ron. They were all very happy.

 

Harry had also a close relationship with Lily and Michael. Against Petunia and Hannah’s consternation, Harry bought them both a small broom to practice flying. He told Hannah and Petunia, “The children need to learn Quidditch young! They are going to make the team someday!”

 

On a cold December day, a jet-black regal looking owl flew towards him one evening, carrying an elegantly wrapped present with a letter affixed on top. It was nearing Christmas time, and just as the last mysterious letter changed Harry’s life, he had a feeling that this one would too.

 

_“Dear Potter”_ the letter began. Harry smiled to himself. He wondered what this year’s adventure would bring. He was finally happy and felt no need to wander like a nomad.

-The End-


End file.
